Robert Greene (born May 25, 1976) is an American

documentary filmmaker A documentary film (often described simply as a documentary) is a nonfiction motion picture intended to "document reality, primarily for instruction, education or maintaining a historical record". The American author and media analyst Bill Ni ...

editor Editing is the process of selecting and preparing written, visual, audible, or cinematic material used by a person or an entity to convey a message or information. The editing process can involve correction, condensation, organization, a ...

, and

writer A writer is a person who uses written words in different writing styles, genres and techniques to communicate ideas, to inspire feelings and emotions, or to entertain. Writers may develop different forms of writing such as novels, short sto ...

. His documentaries include ''

Procession A procession is an organized body of people walking in a formal or ceremonial manner. History Processions have in all peoples and at all times been a natural form of public celebration, as forming an orderly and impressive ceremony. Religious ...

'', '' Bisbee '17'', '' Kate Plays Christine'', ''

Actress An actor (masculine/gender-neutral), or actress (feminine), is a person who portrays a character in a production. The actor performs "in the flesh" in the traditional medium of the theatre or in modern media such as film, radio, and television. ...

'', and '' Fake It So Real''. He was named one of the 10 Filmmakers to Watch in 2014 by ''

The Independent ''The Independent'' is a British online newspaper. It was established in 1986 as a national morning printed paper. Nicknamed the ''Indy'', it began as a broadsheet and changed to tabloid format in 2003. The last printed edition was publis ...

'', and is "filmmaker-in-chief" at the Murray Center for Documentary Journalism at the

University of Missouri The University of Missouri (Mizzou or MU) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Columbia, Missouri, United States. It is Missouri's largest university and the flagship of the four-campus Univers ...

, beginning in 2015.

Life and career

Robert Greene was born in Charlotte, North Carolina. He received his bachelor's degree from

North Carolina State University North Carolina State University (NC State, North Carolina State, NC State University, or NCSU) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Raleigh, North Carolina, United States. Founded in 1887 and p ...

in 2000, majoring in Communication and Multidisciplinary Film Studies. He received his M.F.A. in Media Arts Studies at

City College of New York The City College of the City University of New York (also known as the City College of New York, or simply City College or CCNY) is a Public university, public research university within the City University of New York (CUNY) system in New York ...

. During his studies in New York, he worked at Kim's Video. In 2002, Robert Greene began working at 4th Row Films, starting as freelance editor. In 2004 he began working a full-time as a post-production supervisor. During this time, he worked with producers Douglas Tirola and Susan Bedusa on films including ''All In: The Poker Movie'' (2008), ''Making the Boys'' (2011), and ''An Omar Broadway Film'' (2008). While he was at 4th Row, Robert Greene directed and produced ''Owning the Weather'' (2009) and ''Kati with an I'' (2010). In 2011 he released ''Fake It So Real'', his third feature as director, a documentary following a

Lincolnton, North Carolina Lincolnton is a city in Lincoln County, North Carolina, United States within the Charlotte metropolitan area. The population was 11,091 at the 2020 census, with an estimated population of 12,128, as of 2023. Lincolnton is northwest of Charlo ...

independent wrestling group over the week leading up to a big show. In 2012 he left 4th Row Films to work on independent projects. In 2014 he directed ''

'', a documentary about actress Brandy Burre as she attempts to return to her acting career after abandoning it to concentrate on raising a family. In 2016 he directed '' Kate Plays Christine'', a more experimental work depicting actress

Kate Lyn Sheil Kate Lyn Sheil (born June 13, 1985) is an American actress. She has had roles in independent films like ''You're Next'', '' V/H/S'', '' The Color Wheel'', '' The Sacrament'', and ''House of Cards''. Early life Sheil was born and raised in Jers ...

's preparations to portray the role of

Christine Chubbuck Christine Chubbuck (August 24, 1944 – July 15, 1974) was an American television news reporter who worked for stations WTOG and WXLT-TV in Sarasota, Florida. The first person to die by suicide on a live television broadcast, Chubbuck sh ...

, a real-life news reporter who took her own life on national television in 1974. In 2021, Robert Greene premiered ''

'' at the

Telluride Film Festival The Telluride Film Festival (TFF) is a film festival held annually in Telluride, Colorado, during Labor Day, Labor Day weekend (the first Monday in September). The 51st Telluride Film Festival, 51st edition took place on August 30–September ...

where it was acquired by

Netflix Netflix is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service. The service primarily distributes original and acquired films and television shows from various genres, and it is available internationally in multiple lang ...

. Procession follows six men who suffered sexual abuse by Catholic priests band together to become a makeshift family, and find empowerment by creating fictional scenes depicting rituals of power in the church. The film was nominated for at the

Independent Spirit Award for Best Documentary Feature The Independent Spirit Award for Best Documentary Feature is one of the annual Independent Spirit Awards. It is given to the director(s) of the film and since 2014 it is also given to the producers. It was first presented in 2000, with Marc Singer ...

at the

Independent Spirit Awards The Independent Spirit Awards, originally known as the FINDIE or Friends of Independents Awards, and later as the Film Independent Spirit Awards, are awards presented annually in Santa Monica, California, to independent filmmakers. Founded in ...

and shortlisted by

Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS, often pronounced ; also known as simply the Academy or the Motion Picture Academy) is a professional honorary organization in Beverly Hills, California, U.S., with the stated goal of adva ...

the for best documentary at the

94th Academy Awards The 94th Academy Awards ceremony, presented by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS), took place on March 27, 2022, at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood, Los Angeles. The awards were scheduled after their usual late February dat ...

. Robert Greene has worked with

Sean Price Williams Sean Price Williams is an American cinematographer and film director. Williams is known for his work as a cinematographer, frequently collaborating with Alex Ross Perry and the Safdie Brothers. He made his directorial feature film debut with '' T ...

and

Alex Ross Perry Alex Ross Perry is an American filmmaker and actor. Prolific in independent film, he is best known for writing and directing ''Listen Up Philip'' (2014) and ''Her Smell'' (2018). Early life Perry is Jewish. He grew up in Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania ...

, having edited Perry's feature film ''

Listen Up Philip ''Listen Up Philip'' is a 2014 comedy-drama film written and directed by Alex Ross Perry. The film had its world premiere at 2014 Sundance Film Festival on January 20, 2014, and won the Special Jury Prize at the 2014 Locarno International Film Fe ...

'', as well as Amanda Rose Wilder's ''Approaching the Elephant'', Nick Berardini's '' Tom Swift and His Electric Rifle'', and Robert Kolodny's '' The Featherweight''. In 2015 Robert Greene was appointed filmmaker-in-chief at the ne
Jonathan B. Murray Center for Documentary Journalism at the University
of Missouri in Columbia, MO. He is also an assistant professor in their Journalism and Film Studies programs. He is a writer, critic and reviewer, contributing regularly to ''

Sight & Sound ''Sight and Sound'' (formerly written ''Sight & Sound'') is a monthly film magazine published by the British Film Institute (BFI). Since 1952, it has conducted the well-known decennial ''Sight and Sound'' Poll of the Greatest Films of All Time. ...

'' as well as to other print and online publications including ''

Filmmaker Filmmaking or film production is the process by which a Film, motion picture is produced. Filmmaking involves a number of complex and discrete stages, beginning with an initial story, idea, or commission. Production then continues through screen ...

'', ''Criterion'', and '' Criticwire''. ''Present Tense: Notes on American Nonfiction Cinema 1998-2013,'' his first book, is slated for release by ''The Critical Press'' for July 2015.

Influences

Robert Greene cites a variety of filmmakers and directors as influences for his work, including

Frederick Wiseman Frederick Wiseman (born January 1, 1930) is an American filmmaker, documentarian, and theater director. His work is primarily about exploring American institutions. In 2017, ''The New York Times'' called him "one of the most important and origina ...

Albert and David Maysles Albert Maysles (November 26, 1926 – March 5, 2015) and his brother David Maysles (January 10, 1931 – January 3, 1987; ) were an American documentary filmmaking team known for their work in the Direct Cinema style. Their best-known films in ...

Rainer Werner Fassbinder Rainer Werner Fassbinder (; 31 May 1945 – 10 June 1982), sometimes credited as R. W. Fassbinder, was a German filmmaker, dramatist and actor. He is widely regarded as one of the major figures and catalysts of the New German Cinema moveme ...

Jean-Luc Godard Jean-Luc Godard ( , ; ; 3 December 193013 September 2022) was a French and Swiss film director, screenwriter, and film critic. He rose to prominence as a pioneer of the French New Wave film movement of the 1960s, alongside such filmmakers as ...

John Cassavetes John Nicholas Cassavetes (December 9, 1929 – February 3, 1989) was an American filmmaker and actor. He began as an actor in film and television before helping to pioneer modern American independent cinema as a writer and director, often self- ...

, and

Kon Ichikawa was a Japanese film director and screenwriter. His work displays a vast range in genre and style, from the anti-war films '' The Burmese Harp'' (1956) and '' Fires on the Plain'' (1959), to the documentary '' Tokyo Olympiad'' (1965), which won t ...

. Robert Greene has called

Peter Watkins Peter Watkins (born 29 October 1935) is an English filmmaker, documentarian, writer, and Film theory, film theorist. He is known as a pioneer of the docudrama and the mockumentary genres, typically with heavy political content. His films presen ...

' ''

Edvard Munch Edvard Munch ( ; ; 12 December 1863 – 23 January 1944) was a Norwegian painter. His 1893 work ''The Scream'' has become one of Western art's most acclaimed images. His childhood was overshadowed by illness, bereavement and the dread of inher ...

'' his favorite film of all time. For ''

'', Robert Greene was interested in Wiseman and

Douglas Sirk Douglas Sirk (born Hans Detlef Sierck; 26 April 1897 – 14 January 1987) was a German film director best known for his work in Hollywood (film industry), Hollywood melodramas of the 1950s. However, he also directed comedies, westerns, and war f ...

for their mastery of visuals and definitive style, on how their influence could be incorporated in telling Burre's story.Greene, Robert, and Joshua Handler. "Roboapocalypse: From the Mouths of Filmmakers: Bobbie G." Roboapocalypse. November 3, 2014.

Filmography

As director

*''

'' (2021) *'' Bisbee '17'' (2018) *'' Kate Plays Christine'' (2016) *''

'' (2014) *'' Fake It So Real'' (2011) *''Goodbye Engineer'' (2011) *''Kati With an I'' (2010) *''Owning the Weather'' (2009)

As editor

Pavements Pavement(s) or paving may refer to: Surfacing * Road surface, the durable surfacing of roads and walkways * Sidewalk, a walkway along the side of a road, called a pavement in British English * Asphalt concrete, a common form of road surface * Co ...

(2024) (also producer) *'' The Featherweight'' (2023) *''

Her Smell ''Her Smell'' is a 2018 American drama film written, co-produced and directed by Alex Ross Perry. It stars Elisabeth Moss, Cara Delevingne, Dan Stevens, Agyness Deyn, Gayle Rankin, Ashley Benson, Amber Heard, Dylan Gelula, Eka Darville and ...

(2018) *'' Golden Exits'' (2017) *'' Tom Swift and His Electric Rifle'' (2015) *''

7 Chinese Brothers ''7 Chinese Brothers'' is a 2015 American comedy film written and directed by Bob Byington and starring Jason Schwartzman, Stephen Root, Olympia Dukakis, Jonathan Togo, and Alex Karpovsky. The film was released on August 28, 2015, in a limit ...

'' (2015) *'' Queen of Earth'' (2015) *''

'' (2014) *''

Christmas, Again ''Christmas, Again'' is a 2014 drama film written, directed, and produced by Charles Poekel. The film features Kentucker Audley in the lead role as a Christmas-tree salesman returning to New York City. The film had its premiere at the 2014 Loca ...

'' (2014) *''Approaching the Elephant'' (2014) (also producer) *''If You Take This'' (2014) (also producer) *''The Vanquishing of the Witch Baba Yaga'' (2014) (additional editing) *''Hellaware'' (2013) (additional editing) *''Hey Bartender'' (2013) *'' Lenny Cooke'' (2013) *''All In: The Poker Movie'' (2012) *''Making the Boys'' (2011) *''An Omar Broadway Film'' (2008)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Greene, Robert 1976 births Living people American documentary filmmakers Artists from Charlotte, North Carolina City College of New York alumni North Carolina State University alumni University of Missouri faculty Writers from Charlotte, North Carolina